DANCE REVIEW

DANCE REVIEW; An Artist Lets Flamenco Speak Frankly for Itself

By JENNIFER DUNNING

Published: March 4, 2002

ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Feb. 28—
A casual observer might have been forgiven for wondering if a Presidential State of the Union speech were in progress here on Thursday night at the John Harms Center for the Arts, given the frequency with which the audience rose to its feet to applaud. The occasion was a performance by the Compañía Española de Antonio Márquez, a Spanish flamenco troupe that knows how to put on a good show.

The evening was unusual in that it featured ensemble dancing, with Mr. Márquez as the evening's only solo dancer. The program consisted of three fairly long pieces: José Granero's ''Reencuentros,'' set to music by Emilio de Diego; ''Zapateado,'' choreographed and performed by Mr. Márquez to music by Pablo Sarasate, and Javier La Torre's ''Movimiento Flamenco,'' set to traditional music and a score by Diego Franco, a guitarist with the troupe.

Mr. Márquez is a relatively old-school Spanish dancer, seemingly content to let the art speak for itself, though the relaxed elegance of his upper body suggested a familiarity with ballet and modern dance. His footwork in the ''Zapateado'' solo was finely articulated and dramatic. And his rapport with the audience was charmingly warm-hearted with a tantalizing hint of amusement.

The two group numbers were impersonal but staged with exciting sleekness, a fast-paced suite of entrances, exits and shifting, highly theatrical patterns of small and large ensembles, lighted dramatically by Joaquín Osuna. The evening caught fire with ''Movimiento Flamenco,'' the one number with music performed live, especially with the two singers driving the dancers on. Celebrated in Europe, Mr. Márquez and his 23-member company are on a national tour of the United States.

Photo: Antonio Márquez, center, with dancers in his Compañia Española. (Norman Y. Lono for The New York Times)